Two of my Loves: Being a Mom and Organization

I’ve always loved an organized home. I also love being a mom. Sometimes these two loves are at odds with one another. Over the years, I’ve found storage solutions that help them peacefully coexist. 

When my daughter started walking, it quickly became apparent that I would need to come up with creative storage solutions for different rooms of our home. I wanted to come up with solutions that made it easy for her to participate in the cleanup.

Kitchen Organization for My Little Helper

The first room I tackled was my kitchen. I love to bake and cook, so it was only natural that my daughter would be with me while I did this. Of course, when she became mobile, it would be increasingly difficult to keep her out of trouble.

If your kids are anything like my little Missy was when she was younger, then you already know they want to have whatever you have. So when I cooked, I would hand her a wooden spoon and some bowls to keep her occupied.

One day I had the idea to clean out and designate a cabinet drawer in my kitchen that was just for her. In it, I put in some serving spoons, bowls, and a pan. I also added to the drawer some toy food and plastic plates. She loved pretending to cook. 

Clean up was simple. She knew when we were done in the kitchen; she had to put everything back in the drawer. Plus it helped me keep her occupied while I cooked!

Family Room Organization

Since I found success in the kitchen, I decided to try the same concept in other areas of our home. I purchased an ottoman that had a removable lid. Inside I would keep a few toys. Every couple of weeks, I would rotate out the toys. This way, she didn’t lose interest in what was inside.

Once again, cleanup was simple. When we were finished in the room, she had to put everything back in the ottoman.

Homework Organization

When she was older and started getting homework, it became clear that having a centralized place to put all her homework supplies would be beneficial.

I decided to designate a drawer, in our kitchen, for her homework. Fortunately, we had a drawer that was near the table where she did her homework.

A few baskets were added for pencils, glue, sticks, and crayons. Also included were a couple of folders, one to hold blank paper, and another to keep important paperwork. 

Outdoor Toy Organization

Drawers and ottomans worked well for storage inside, but I also wanted a simple storage solution for outdoor toys. I eventually settled on laundry baskets. They work great because they are easy to take outside, they are durable, and they can be hosed off when things get dirty.

When we would go outside, I would take the laundry baskets outside for her. When it was time to go inside, she would place everything back in the laundry basket.

Storage Organization

The best part of using baskets and drawers was how easy it made cleanup. All I had to do was offer up a 5-minute challenge.

I would say, “I bet you can’t put everything back in the basket in less than 5 minutes.” 

She would then race around, grabbing toys and tossing them into the basket or drawer.  If only this method still worked now that she’s a teenager!

I love hearing how other people organize everyday things. Tag @Toledo.Moms on Instagram and let us see your best organization idea.